The Bulgarian climate is continental, winters are harsh, the temperature can remain below freezing for weeks during December / January with peaks below the -10°C / -15°C, while summers are hot, the temperature easily exceeds 30°C. The winters are harsh and summers are hot, especially in the Danube side.
Rainfall in most of the country are generally low (around 500 mm per year), more abundant on the Balkans. The climate along the coast of the Black Sea in the east of the country is relatively mild and temperate. In the Danube region will have strong annual variations in temperature with winter temperatures up to -25°C and summer up to 40°C.
The driest areas of the country are those closer to the coast, ie the areas of Dobruja (Dobrudzha) and the northern coastal area, while the wettest areas in Bulgaria are the mountainous areas of the north-west and south-west, that is the most high mountain ranges of Rila and Stara Planina.
The capital Sofia, which lies on a plateau 550 meters above sea level, has cold, snowy winters and hot and relatively wet summers. In a year it receives on average 650 mm of precipitation, the relatively wettest period is between April and August.
The water temperature of the Black Sea varies between 24 ° C in August to 9 ° C during the months of January to March. In the months between June and September, the temperature of the water of the Black Sea is above 21 ° C and is suitable for swimming in the sea.
WHEN TO GO TO BULGARIA
The best time for a trip to Bulgaria are the hottest and mild months between May and September, although July and August can sometimes be quite hot.
BULGARIA CLIMATE TABLES
SOFIA (595 metres) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days (snowy days) |
January | -3,9 | 3,4 | 33,2 | 9 (7,2) |
February | -2,9 | 5,6 | 31,5 | 10 (6,2) |
March | 0,8 | 10,6 | 38,1 | 10 (5,7) |
April | 5,4 | 16,2 | 50,7 | 12 (1,4) |
May | 9,8 | 21,1 | 67,0 | 13 |
June | 13,2 | 24,7 | 75,4 | 12 |
July | 15,1 | 27,3 | 52,6 | 10 |
August | 14,9 | 27,5 | 57,6 | 9 |
September | 11,0 | 22,9 | 45,7 | 7 |
October | 6,6 | 17,1 | 45,0 | 11 (0,8) |
November | 1,4 | 9,7 | 43,3 | 10 (3) |
December | -2,4 | 4,3 | 41,7 | 12 (7) |
YEAR | 5,8 | 15,9 | 581,8 | 125 (31,3) |
SUNNY BEACH (7 metres) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 0,2 | 7,0 | 44,3 | |
February | 1,5 | 8,3 | 47,6 | |
March | 4,1 | 11,7 | 48,2 | |
April | 8,0 | 16,2 | 69,8 | |
May | 13,3 | 22,4 | 49,9 | |
June | 17,5 | 27,2 | 32,1 | |
July | 19,6 | 29,2 | 27,6 | |
August | 19,8 | 29,3 | 28,4 | |
September | 16,3 | 25,1 | 45,5 | |
October | 11,7 | 19,8 | 62,2 | |
November | 6,6 | 14,0 | 68,9 | |
December | 1,6 | 8,5 | 57,1 | |
YEAR | 10,0 | 18,2 | 581,6 |
VARNA (80 metres) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | -1,7 | 6,2 | 31,8 | 13,5 |
February | -1,1 | 7,4 | 29,9 | 11,3 |
March | 1,7 | 10,3 | 43,7 | 11,9 |
April | 6,1 | 14,8 | 57,0 | 9,3 |
May | 10,8 | 20,4 | 43,9 | 6,9 |
June | 15,0 | 25,1 | 57,6 | 6,2 |
July | 17,2 | 27,8 | 50,7 | 4,7 |
August | 17,1 | 27,9 | 41,4 | 3,3 |
September | 13,5 | 23,9 | 44,1 | 6,5 |
October | 9,1 | 18,6 | 42,6 | 9,6 |
November | 4,6 | 12,8 | 55,6 | 8,9 |
December | 0,5 | 8,1 | 42,0 | 11,5 |
YEAR | 7,8 | 17,0 | 540,3 | 103,6 |
HARMANI (BLACK SEA) | ||||
Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
January | 9 | |||
February | 9 | |||
March | 9 | |||
April | 11 | |||
May | 16 | |||
June | 21 | |||
July | 24 | |||
August | 24 | |||
September | 22 | |||
October | 18 | |||
November | 14 | |||
December | 11 |
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